This morning, another Russian missile strike hit Kyiv, causing extensive damage to civilian infrastructure. Hundreds of residential buildings, as well as dozens of schools, kindergartens, and healthcare facilities, were left without heating as a result. One of the missiles exploded just a couple of kilometres from the Estonian Refugee Council's Kyiv office, highlighting the extreme conditions in which our team continues its work.

On 7 December, a pre-Christmas Ukrainian-Estonian family celebration was held in Võru in cooperation with the local Red Cross office, bringing together around 120 participants. The event featured a concert performance introducing Ukrainian Christmas traditions, with singing, dancing, and acting.

The Estonian Refugee Council celebrated its 24th Anniversary. In our 24 years of operation our assistance has reached around half a million people. We have grown to become the largest humanitarian organisation in the Baltics and our team of more than 120 employees helps crisis-affected people in 6 countries.

The UPBEAT employability programme, launched in the summer in collaboration with the Estonian Refugee Council, Startup Refugees, and Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, aims to increase the competitiveness of young people with refugee and migrant backgrounds in entrepreneurship and the labour market through learning about artificial intelligence (AI).

On 19 November, from 5 PM to 9 PM, the Estonian Refugee Council will host a solidarity event in Freedom Square, Tallinn, where a thousand candles will be lit to mark 1,000 days since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The event is part of the ongoing campaign “1,000 Days of War, 1,000 Warm Homes.”

The Estonian Refugee Council launched a donation campaign on 13 November – “1000 Days of War, 1000 Warm Homes” – to collect donations during November and December to provide heating support for 1,000 Ukrainian households near the frontline.

The international humanitarian conference, organised by the Estonian Refugee Council, brought together experts and organisations from around the world in Tallinn yesterday. In its second year, the conference focused on ethical dilemmas, anticipatory action, and the use of artificial intelligence in humanitarian aid.

A donation campaign in Estonia is still active to provide humanitarian aid for people affected by the conflict in Lebanon.On 7 November, we are organising an international humanitarian conference in Tallinn, which focuses on ethical dilemmas, preventive action, and the use of artificial intelligence.In Ukraine, we continue to distribute winter support to cover heating costs for 4,500 households during the upcoming winter season. Assistance will be provided in cash, or alternatively, firewood or coal will be delivered directly to those in need.A financial assistance programme was launched in Ukraine to increase food security and self-sufficiency for vulnerable households and communities by improving the winter living conditions of livestock and poultry.In Armenia’s Lori region, a women’s livelihoods programme started.Our Armenia office has signed an agreement with the Estonian University of Life Sciences to help three schools in the Tavush region implement water- and energy-efficient agricultural solutions developed in Estonia to alleviate water scarcity and promote environmental education.In Georgia, a cash assistance programme has been launched to support Ukrainian refugees living there through the winter months. For more information, visit the Estonian Refugee Council´s website.